Hand tape moistener



' Sept. 15, 1931. J. F. PORTER HAND TAPE MOISTBNER Filed Nov. 30, 1929 vwautoz James F far/er Patented Sept. 15, 1931 UNETED STATESPATENT OFFICE JAMES F. PORTER, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO THE WESTERN UNION TELE- GRAPH COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK HAND TAPE MOISTENER Application filed November 30, 1929. Serial No. 410,756.

This invention relates to a device for moistening a gummed strip of paper or tape to facilitate the application thereof to a backing sheet. It is particularly adapted for the moistening of gummed tape received from a printing telegraph machine, for application to a telegraph blank, but is not limited thereto.

In one form of printing telegram system commonly employed, the telegraphic message is automatically printed onto a narrow gunnned tape which passes through the printing machine. The operator or the attendant of the machine applies the tape, as

it is printed, to a telegram blank.

In Patent No. 1,644,262 to R. Mason, granted October 4, 1927, and entitled Gum tape aflixing device, there is shown one form of moistening device employed for this purpose. In the device of this patent and in the moistening devices heretofore actually employed for this purpose, it is necessary to load the moistener by threading the tape through an elongated guideway extending longitudinally of the water container, then over a moistening wick and under a roller disposed at the tip of the device.

My invention relates to a hand tape moistener of this same general character having an elongated water container provided with a rectangular guideway extending along the top thereof. In accordance with my invention I construct the guideway in the form of an open top trough or channel having a hinged cover which when closed, forms a rectangular guideway for the tape. The cover is arranged so that it may be readily opened by the thumb of the operator, while the moistener is held in one hand.

The water container is provided with a forwardly extending nose piece in which a moistening device, such as a felt wick, is located. The tape passes through the guideway and over the wick. A pressure roller is mounted upon an extension of the hinged cover and when the cover is closed, the roller engages the tape adjacent to the tip of the nose piece, beyond the wick, to hold the tap in contact therewith.

When it is desired to load the moistener,

it is only necessary to open the cover of the trough by a movement of the thumb, of the hand holding the moistener, lay the tape in the open trough andacross the wick and close the cover over the tape. The device is then ready for use.

A fiat spring may be provided in the trough or in the cover, to bear against the tape and thereby, to oppose the movement of the tape through the guideway so that it will be pressed firmly against the moistening device or wick as the tape is drawn from the moistener.

In order that the invention may be more fully understood, reference will be had to the accompanying drawings in which;

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the hand tape moistener with the guideway cover closed, in position for the normal use of the device;

F igure 2 is a similar perspective view, showing the cover of the guideway open; and

Figure 3 is a section on the line 33 of the Figure l.

The tape moistener comprises a hollow cylindrical body, 5, forming a water reservoir and of a suitable size to be grasped in the hand of the operator. A removable screw cap, 6, is provided on the forward end of the reservoir and serves as a means of replenishing the water supply in the reservoir. The cap, 6, has a forwardly extending wedged shaped wick support or nose piece, 7, having a fiat bottom adapted to engage with and slide along the surface of the telegram blank as the tape is applied thereto. The nose piece 7 has a well or recess 8 in its upper side to receive a wick, 9, or other form of moisture carrying medium. In place of the wick, 9, a moistening roller may be mounted on bearings within the well, 8, as is common in the construction of gummed tape moisteners. The wick well is in communication with the interior of the reservoir by passages, not shown.

A detachable tape guiding channel, 10, is mounted on the reservoir by spring clips, 11, and is held in proper position relative to the wick holder, 7, by lugs, 12, which extend upwardly from the screw cap, 6, on each side of the guide channel. The guide channel consists of a rectangular trough, 13, having a removable cover, 14, mounted on the trough by hinges, 15. A coil spring, 16, surrounds the hinge pin, 17 and engages the cover so as to bias it towards its open position. The cover is held closed by spring thumb latch, 18, located adjacent the forward end of the reservoir in a position to be readily pressed by the thumb while the device is held in the hand, to release the cover and permit it to open under the action of the spring, 16. The cover at its forward end has a pair of parallel downwardly curved bars, 19, bridged at their outer and lower ends by a roller, 20. lVhen the cover is closed, the roller, 20, rests in an arcuate flange, 21, extending upwardly at each side of the tip of the wick carrier, 7

A pair of leaf springs, 22 and 23, are secured to the underside of the cover, 14-, and bear against the tape when the cover is closed, to apply sufiicient pressure thereto to resist slightly the movement of the tape thru the guideway.

Then it is necessary to load the moistener, it is held in the right hand and the latch, 18, released by pressure of the thumb to permit the cover to open. The tape is then laid in the trough, 13, and over the top of the wick, 9, and between a pair of wire guides, 24, disposed at the tip of the wick holder, 7. The cover, 14, is then closed over the trough and held by the latch, 18. The tape passes thru the guideway, 10, over the wick and under the roller, 20. The roller, 20, presses the tape down over the wick, 9, and the leaf springs, 22 and 23,

produce sul'licient resistance to the movement of the tape to insure the tape being pressed firmly against the moistening wick at all times.

It is obvious that various modifications and changes may be made in the construction disclosed without departing from the invention and I desire to include within the scope of my invention all suchchanges as come within the terms of the appended claims.

WVhat I claim is:

1. A hand tape moistener comprising an elongated water receptacle, a moistening de vice, a support for said moistening device secured to said receptacle and extending forwardly thereof, a guideway for tape extending longitudinally of said receptacle, said guideway comprising an open trough or channel member, a removable cover adapted to close the same, and means secured to said cover and extending forwardly beyond said moistening device for engagement with the tape to hold the same in contact with said moistening device.

2. A hand tape moistener comprising an elongated water receptacle adapted to be held in the hand, a moistening device, a support for said moistening device secured to said receptacle and extending forwardly thereof, a tape guide supported by said receptacle, said tape guide comprising a chan nel extending longitudinally of said receptacle and having a hinged top, and a forward extension for said hinged top for engaging said tape beyond the end of said guideway to maintain the tape in contact with the moistening device.

3. A hand tape moistener comprising a hollow body portion constituting a water reservoir, a moistening device, a support for said moistening device extending forwardly from said hollow body, a tape guide extending longitudinally of said hollow body, a pivoted cover for said guide, said cover having a forward extension engaging said support at the tip thereof, whereby said tape is pressed into contact with said moistening device.

a. A hand tape moistener comprising a hollow body portion constituting a water reservoir, a moistening device, a support for said moistening device extending forwardly from said hollow body, a tape guide ext-ending longitudinally of said hollow body, a pivoted cover for said guide, said cover having a forward extension engaging the tape at the tip of said support to press the tape into contact with said moistening device, and a resilient member within said tape guide for resisting the movement of the tape therethru.

5. A hand tape moistener comprising a hollow body portion constituting a water container, a moistening device adjacent to one end of said container, a tape guide extending longitudinally of said container, said tape guide comprising a trough having a hinged cover normally biased to an open position, and a latch member for holding said coverclosed over said trough.

6. A hand tape moistener comprising an elongated water receptacle, a moistening device, a support for said moistening device extending forwardly of said receptacle, a guideway fortape extending longitudinally of said receptacle, a removable cover for said guideway and a resilient member engaging said tape within said guideway to oppose the movement of the tape therethru.

7. A hand tape moistener comprising an elongated water receptacle, a moistening device, a support for said moistening device, a guideway for tape extending longitudinally of said receptacle, a removable cover for said guideway, a resilient member engaging said tape within said guideway to oppose the movement of the tape therethru, and means carried by the cover engaging said tape forwardly of said moistening device to press the tape against the moistening device as it is drawn thereover.

8. A hand tape moistener comprising a hollow body portion constituting a water container, a moistening device adjacent one end of said container and a tape guideway extending longitudinally of said container, a hinged cover for said tape guideway, a spring acting to bias the cover to open posi- 19 tion, means normally holding said cover closed over said guideway and a resilient member carried by said cover arranged to engage the tape, when the cover is closed, to oppose the movement of the tape therethrough, said resilient member disengaging said tape when the cover moves to open position.

9. A hand tape moistener comprising a hollow body portion constituting a water 20 container, a moistening device adjacent one end of said container, a tape guide extending longitudinally of said container, said tape guide comprising a trough having a hinged cover normally biased to an open position, said cover being adapted to be closed on to said trough when the moistener is being operated.

10. A hand tape moistener comprising an elongated water receptacle, a moistening device carried thereby, a guideway for tape extending longitudinally of said receptacle, a removable cover for said guideway and means carried by the cover engaging said tape forwardly of the moistening device to press the tape against the moistening device as it is drawn thereover.

11. A hand tape moistener comprising an elongated water receptacle, a moistening device carried adjacent one end thereof, a

guideway for tape extending longitudinally of said receptacle, a hinged cover for said guideway and a roller carried by said cover engaging said tape forwardly of the guideway to press the tape against the moistening device as it is drawn thereover.

12. A hand tape moistener comprising a water receptacle shaped to be held in the hand, a moistening device carried adjacent one end thereof, a guideway for tape formed on said receptacle terminating adjacent said moistening device, a hinged cover for said guideway normally biased to open position and a pressure member carried by said cover forwardly of said guideway for engaging the tape when the cover is in closed position, to press the tape against the moistening device.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

JAMES F. PORTER. 

